Players excited for start of workouts

More than 60 players attended the Browns’ first day of voluntary offseason workouts Monday in Berea.

More than 60 players returned to Berea for the start of the Cleveland Browns’ voluntary offseason workouts and meetings on Monday.

And the players were eager to get back to work under the direction of Brad Roll, the team’s new strength and conditioning coach.

“It felt good to get back in here to be around my teammates, and finally, got to talk X’s and O’s with our coaches,” cornerback Joe Haden said of the workouts. “I really like (defensive coordinator) Ray Horton’s passion and the new coaching staff and just the new feel. They’re changing up the locker room, changing up the weight room. It’s just a completely different feeling.”

Added defensive lineman Ahtyba Rubin, “You had some time off and got to spend it with your family, and now, it’s back to work, back to running around and building that camaraderie, that connecting feeling that you get with your teammates. It’s very important, especially if you start early. You can get that feel for your teammates, get the feel for your coaches. Everybody gels, and that’s what you need to take into the season.”

The player turnout impressed first-year head coach Rob Chudzinski.

“It was great to see the guys as a group for the first time,” Chudzinski said. “I was extremely pleased with the turnout -- we had more than 60 players participate. I believe that the program Brad (Roll) and our strength staff has devised will greatly benefit our players. These next two weeks will be an opportunity for the players to get acclimated to our offseason program, spend some time getting to know each other and also to have some meeting time with their position coaches before having our first organized on-field work on April 16.”